Covering it all..

Sunday, May 11th 2008, 10:33 PM CDT

Rusty Surette

I've worked in Las Vegas, Raleigh, Lake Charles, Louisiana and several markets in Texas and I keep in touch with several of my colleagues from each market. We swap stories and share ideas and most of them agree that Oklahoma City is overflowing with unbelievable stories that change so many lives everyday.

This past week was a perfect example of that.

It started with a project we called "Dear God". In this special assignment, we gathered local children and asked them to write letters to the Almighty. We then asked the children to read their letters back to us, on camera, and explain why they wrote what they did. This was a fascinating assignment and it really gave our viewers an opportunity to examine how much children believe when it comes to religion and the Bible.

From there I covered small tornadoes that touched down in the northern parts of the metro on Wednesday and on Thursday I was at a standoff involving a man who shot an Oklahoma City police officer. My Friday assignment took me to Lake Overholser where a young sunbather had to be rescued from the dam after currents took here too close for comfort, and this weekend we tracked a man down who stabbed a young Warr Acres mom in the face.

I have to say that last assignment was very rewarding. I called the Warr Acres Police Department on Sunday and I was told by officers that the man responsible for the attack turned himself in following our reports. From what we're told, after an accurate sketch of this man was plastered on every TV station in town, his friends and family pressured him into turning himself in. It's nice to know that my report helped to put a criminal behind bars.

Of course, the big story right now is the twister that touched down in a small northeast Oklahoma town and completely wiped out several neighborhoods. News 9 reporter Jacqueline Sit and photojournalist Jon Almendarez are covering this tragedy and for once, I'm happy it's somebody else. I've certainly had my fair share of bad news for this week and it reminds me of just how blessed I truly am, no matter what kind of day I have.

Rusty Surette

Rusty.surette@news9.net

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